Secret Relationship
by puppyluv94
Summary: A relationship they had to keep secret and yet all they wanted was to tell the whole school. Sucky summary but good story. A few chapters review and I'll post them!
1. Chapter 1

**Part one of what could be a threeshot. Please review, it encourages me!!**

She smiled, nodding along with every word she spoke, although inside her heart was shattering. Why couldn't she see through the facade she had put on, to the sad, torn, sad girl on the inside? Why couldn't she see that she didn't want to talk about the latest in the fashion world, she wanted someone to listen to her problems. To listen to her cry about her mom and dad arguing, to the separate houses, even to the new man in her mom's life. Why couldn't_ any_ of her friends see that?

She couldn't talk to them about it, none of her best friends would understand, they all had the picture perfect life. The only person she could talk to was the one person she shouldn't be socializing with. However, he was always there for her and knew when she wanted to talk or when she just wanted to sit in silence. But their relationship was wrong. He was the superstar and she was the braniac. He shouldn't even know her name and yet he knew more than her friends had bothered to find out.

She glanced down at the ring on her finger and sighed. He had given it to her about a month after they first started secretly meeting. He had said it symbolised his love for her and he promised that one day everybody would know that they were together. They hadn't meant for it to go this far. He had followed her up the stairs to the secret balcony only because he thought he was the only one aware of the hideout. But then he saw her crying and sat with her until her sobbing subsided. When she questioned his as to why he was there, he shrugged and replied that he didn't like to see girls cry. She hadn't believed him but decided not to press the matter.

He hadn't been entirely lying however, he did hate to see girls cry, but that wasn't the reason he sat with her. If he was honest, there was just something that drew him to her. Perhaps it was the fact that although she had been crying and her eyes were all puffy, he had never seen someone in such a vulnerable state look so beautiful.

From there it had escalated to regular meetings on the deserted rooftop, where conversations would take place, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad and others just getting to know the people behind the stereotyped masks. She learned that his mom had left after his three-year-old sister's birth and that he was very close and protective of the little one. He was kept updated on the divorce and the aftermath, her dad's bitter talks, her mother's evenings out with her new boyfriend, the not-so-secret cause of the whole two-year affair. And all this went on in private, the rest of the school oblivious to the fact that on the rooftop, two very different people from very different cliques were shedding the status quo to listen to each other and provide comfort that everybody else seemed to lack.

And although it killed them both, they knew that it had to stay like that. Secret. She had to deal with girls constantly flirting with him and he put up with the occasional guy asking the pretty bookworm out and the locker room chats in which her name would frequently be brought up by one of his teammates, questioning why she always turned them down. But that was the way it had to be. For now anyway.

**Read and review so I know to post the other chapters!!**


	2. Chapter 2

They were in love. There was no denying it. She smiled slightly as she pictured his nervous face when he first told her how deep his feelings for her truly ran. And then the look of pure relief when she echoed those three little words back to him.

She was so busy reminiscing, that she failed to notice that her group of friends had reached the door for their first class. She landed back into reality by the sound of unnaturally high-pitched laughter. She quietly suppressed a giggle as she saw her boyfriend try and convince yet another one of his admirers to go back to her own seat, a pained expression etched upon his handsome features. At the soft sound of her badly disguised cough he looked up and met her eyes. They didn't smile, that would have been too obvious; they merely stared at each other. Their eyes spoke for them.

He had once told her that in order for a girl to capture his attention, which never happened until she came along, they had to have truly beautiful eyes. When she remarked that her eyes were simply brown, he told her that never had he seen such wonderfully deep chocolate eyes, which were filled with emotion. With just one look at her, he could determine what she was feeling, which slightly scared but mostly thrilled her. People looked into her eyes everyday and yet no one could read her like him. His eyes were a stunning sapphire colour, her birthstone. She could also read the message he was trying to convey simply by looking into his eyes.

Their friends missed the interaction between the two and her group went to their assigned seats. Fortunately, she was sat next to her boyfriend on a bench at the back of the room. It was a coincidence they both truly appreciated. _Un_fortunately, during the health class, he would obtain every opportunity to tease her. Whether it was blowing discreetly across her neck, or tickling her softly beneath the bench, he would never pass up on a chance and because they were right at the back no one saw a thing. Not that anyone bothered to check up on them, no one would have suspected they weren't paying attention. He would always tease her when the teacher's back was turned or even when she was answering a question.

She made her way to the back of the room whilst replying to greetings she received. As well as being known as a braniac, she was also given the title of 'East High's Sweetheart'. She was the quiet girl who always wore a smile, fake or otherwise. She quickly slid into her seat just as her boyfriend's best friend bounded up to their desk and started talking to him.

Discreetly, Troy placed a hand on her thigh, where the material of her skirt had shifted. He slowly rubbed it up and down, extracting goose bumps on her tanned skin. Out of the corner of his eye, he enjoyed watching a soft smile creep up onto her face. But the smile couldn't disguise her sad eyes and he immediately knew something was up, even though they weren't looking at each other directly. He gently squeezed her thigh and she understood what he meant. He was there for her. Casually, she put her small hand over his in order to say thank you. He turned his hand over and they laced fingers, his best friend oblivious to what was happening as he had his friend's undivided attention. Or so he thought.

As the bell rang, everybody ran back to their seats and the couple snuck a glance at each other. They held hands throughout the entire lesson and squeezed every so often, as if to remind the other that they were still there and thinking about each other. When they finally had to be separated, they looked at one another and she did the small hand gesture they had made up to symbol their love for the other, when it couldn't be voiced out loud. He nodded his head slightly to indicate that he felt the same. When her friends dragged her away to their next class, he quickly turned his head from his approaching group and mouthed a time for them to meet on the rooftop. She nodded her head before being swallowed up by a swarm of students, most clad in the school's colours of read and white.


	3. Chapter 3

He climbed up the last few steps only to be greeted by the soft sound of crying. He ran over to the small heap on the bench and scooped her up in his arms. He hugged her and kissed any part of her head his lips met. They sat down and she explained that she had argued with her mother again, over her mom's boyfriend. He rocked her slowly as her crying ceased and she occasionally hiccoughed in exhaustion. He hugged her tighter and rubbed her back as she sighed.

She moved her head from its current position on his shoulder and looked at him. She asked him what was wrong. He looked into her big eyes and breathed out his little sister's name. She knew what he was talking about. Lily Bolton had recently been asking questions about her mother's whereabouts as everyone else at her playgroup had one. He went on to tell her how he had been up comforting the little one when she burst into tears at the thought that their mother had left because she had been naughty.

He sighed and his concerned girlfriend asked if he wanted her to have a go. Lily had grown particularly fond of Gabriella and often asked if she could stay over. Jack Bolton had no objections to this, as same as the two teens and her parents wouldn't really notice if she was there or not.

He looked down at the gorgeous girl in front of him and nodded. Ho did he get so lucky? He knew none of his friends would understand the wonderful feeling she gave him, especially is they knew who the girl he was completely infatuated with was. They often questioned him as to why he always turned girls down but he simply answered they were too desperate.

He was protecting her by keeping her identity a secret. His friends were firm believers of the status quo and he knew the questions would be endless if he dared to break it. They stuck with the unwritten rule that people should date within their own clique, jocks with cheerleaders, brainiacs with nerds. Unfortunately, he fell into the first category, whereas his girlfriend fell into the latter.

She would only get grief off half the student body for dating someone they thought of as out of her league, but they couldn't be more wrong. She was too good for him. She was beautiful, smart, caring, sweet, kind and many more. He didn't even think girls as perfect as he existed. And they didn't. She was one of a kind. No one could compare to her. Gabriella felt the same way about him. When they were together, it's like nothing else mattered. And that's all they wanted.

The loud bell snapped them out of their trance and he slowly kissed her goodbye before letting her up. They had come to an agreement that she would always leave the rooftop five minutes before he descended so as not to arouse any suspicion.

As her soft footsteps echoed down the hall, he walked down the familiar steps and took the usual route to the homeroom they both shared. He could hear his eccentric teacher's voice bouncing off the walls in the now empty hallway as he quietly slipped through the door. All eyes turned to look at him. He saw his girlfriend softly smile before looking down at her desk once more. He looked at his teacher expectantly awaiting his upcoming punishment and was surprised when she dramatically sighed and waved her hand vaguely in the direction of his seat.

Shrugging at all the questioning glances he received from his friends, he went to sit down. He would occasionally sneak a glance at his girlfriend who would be in her classic day-dreaming position-eyes glazed over; pen in mouth and a hand twirling a long curl of brunette hair.

Time passed quickly for the two teens who had shared none of their lessons together. He had slipped a note into her locker on his way to class, arranging for her to meet him at their local park in a little area they had discovered one afternoon. At five-thirty, she left her house explaining to her big brother she would be back before eight. She walked swiftly through the streets until she saw her boyfriend. She sauntered over to him as he held out his arms to welcome her.

She giggled when he engulfed her and inhaled his intoxicating scent. She sighed blissfully. He always made all her troubles fade away with just a simple gesture. After reluctantly releasing her, he asked is she was okay. They continued to make conversation as he took her hand and led her to the lake-side. They say down and she whispered about how beautiful it was, something she always did, and then blushed when he commented that nothing was as beautiful as her.

He always made her feel so special. It killed her inside when she saw him with other girls drooling all over him, but it was simple things like that that made up for it. She knew it was against the 'rules' for them to be together and she'd never have imagined them as a couple, but now she couldn't live without him. How could a relationship deemed as wrong feel so right?


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for all of your great reviews!!! They are so encouraging! If you want to see something in the next few chapters, send me a PM and I'll see what I can do! After this is finished (only a few more chapters) I will start a story with some drama in it. I'm at a loss of ideas so again, any good ideas, send me a message and I will put you as my inspiration!!**

**Disclaimer ::: Um, a 13 year old owning High School Musical? Yeah, right!! Lol**

She giggled as he pushed her on the swings. He chuckled as he looked at her effortless beauty. She looked like a giddy child as the swing took her higher and higher. He stopped pushing just to look at her and admire her stunning features. He told her how gorgeous she was and smiled as she blushed and shook her head. He told her how he couldn't believe he had managed to live all those years without her by his side and she replied that good things are worth waiting for.

As the swing came to a complete halt, he leant in and met her lips in a full kiss, full of love and compassion. When the lack of oxygen became too urgent to ignore, they pulled away and just looked into each other's eyes, smiling both on the inside and out. He took her hand and laced fingers as they started their walk back to her house. No one they knew lived around that area so they didn't have to worry about being caught out.

After talking about when they first met, they arrived at her house. She groaned when she saw whose car was parked in the driveway. He looked at her with comfort and concern and reminded her that he was only one the other end of the phone. She thanked him with a soft kiss and watched as he walked away into the darkness. Gabriella sighed as she unlocked the front door, took her coat off and walked up the stairs to her room, ignoring her mother's calls. After changing into one of Troy's shirts and an old pair of her sport shorts, she crawled into bed and laid thinking about her day. With thoughts of her boyfriend circulating her mind, she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Looking out of the window of her homeroom class, she frowned as she spotted two cheerleaders looking at her then laughing, the head cheerleader Lexie sat on her desk looking triumphant. When the quiet of the room erupted into deep male shouts and laughter, the leggy blonde fixed her hair and arranged her skirt to make sure more of her thigh was on show. When the school superstar reached his desk, followed by his usual entourage, he was quickly attacked by Lexie who leant forward to whisper something into his ear, his girlfriend sneakily looking at them through the window.

His friends left him be, thinking that he would just ask the girl out in order to follow rule number one of high school: most popular boy with most popular girl. They missed the frown on the boy's face which was then replaced with a look of surprise as he registered what the girl was saying. When the teacher entered the room, there was the usual scuffle of people returning to their seats and the boy spotted his girlfriend looking at him through the glass and just casually inclined his head upwards. They both had a free period next so he could tell her then. He spun around in his seat to face the drama teacher, who had launched into a lecture about the importance of silence.

She silently thanked the Lord as the bell rang. Quickly, she efficiently gathered up all her books and things and swiftly moved through the crowded hallways, ducking into the doorway leading to the rooftop garden quick enough so no one saw her. She climbed up the stairs and waited for two minutes, the usual amount of time it took Troy to escape his crowd of adoring fans.

"Houston, we have a problem." She whipped around at her boyfriend's familiar voice. She questioned him as to what he meant and looked up at him confusedly when he took her hands in his. He took a deep breath before going on to explain that the skinny blonde that pounced on him during homeroom had seen them together the night before and was threatening to tell everyone. He watched his girlfriend's facial expressions change as she thought of possible outcomes to this supply of gossip.

Everything would be different if the student body found out. Not much for her, except for some more attention maybe, but for him. She didn't want his school status to change just because of who he fell in love with. She sighed and reached up to kiss her confused boyfriend. Then, after squeezing his hands once more, she left. She knew that he would never hear the end of it from his friends if they found out and she didn't want to be the cause of a rift between them as they had all known each other since pre-kindergarten. The pretty brunette had never really thought of how they would tell everyone else, she just thought that they would cross that bridge when they came to it. But unfortunately, it had come to early.


	5. Chapter 5

The athletic boy understood why his girlfriend left and was determined to keep her. He ran out after her, ignoring the looks off everyone in the hallway. He saw her duck into a science lab and quickly followed her, stealthily avoiding the obstructing bodies. Quietly, he snuck into the deserted lab and watched her cry. He knew she thought she was doing what was best for him, but she should've known that as long as he had her, he could overcome any obstacle to ever come his way in his life. He knew it would be hard for them to come out as a couple, hard for her to deal with the scrutiny he knew she would endure, hard for him to convince his friends that he needed her, he truly _needed_ her, but he also knew that they would grow from it. People would throw things in between them, probably even his own friends would try to get them to break up, thinking they were doing what was best for their captain, but they weren't. His life had always been black and white, he was happy like that, but he didn't know what true happiness felt like. When she came into his life, she brought colour, she brought _love. _He never knew that it would only take one girl to make him feel invincible every day. He thought that kind of feeling would come when he won his first game on a proper basketball team, like the Lakers. How wrong he was.

"Baby, don't cry please." He pleaded softly and watched as her head shot up at the unexpected voice.

"Troy, please just go. Don't make this any harder."

"It doesn't have to be hard at all. Don't let Lexie get her way. Just, ignore her."

"Troy, either way this was going to be hard. Whether we broke up through a mutual decision, or our friends did it to us, we should have known. We don't belong together Troy. You're the basketball hotshot; I'm the nerdy little freak."

"Oh, please don't tell me you believe all that status shit." Troy exclaimed, slightly angered by the fact that she was giving up so easily, and contradicting what they had been telling each other for the past months, that they would be okay as long as they had each other, and that it was about time someone did something against the rules.

"I need to go." She whispered, wiping away the remains of her tears and heading towards the door that he was preoccupying.

"Troy, please."

"I can't believe you. All this time, we always said that no matter what happened we would stand by each other, and here you are falling after the first major hurdle in our relationship." He spat.

"Look, this isn't easy for me, okay? I just know that as soon as this leaks into the gossip mill, everything's gonna change, and for once, I want to be in control." She cried, a second meaning woven in her words. He knew what she was referring to, everything had changed in her family situation and she had been just expected to fall into line. Her brother had left home and gone to live with their father, but she didn't want to leave her mom, so she was always stuck in the middle.

"You can be in control." Troy gently stroked her tanned cheek, using a softer tone than before. "I understand how you feel, but please, don't give up on us."

"I have to Troy. Because even if we don't break up now, and miraculously we survive all the crap that will be thrown at us when every one finds out, someday we are going to break up. Either at graduation, or after if we discover that long-distance relationships really don't work, and I just want to get used to not having you there." She said softly, months of sleepless nights and anxiety seeping in her words. "So, this way, it's easier for both of us. Now let me go." She tried to push her way past him to the door but he was simply to strong for her.

"I love you." He said determinedly. "And there's no way I'm giving up on you that easy."

"Troy please. Don't. Don't make it worse than it has to be." She cried, desperation evident in her voice, tears dripping down her face.

"I'm not letting you go."

"Well, it's not up to you, is it? I'm going, so you can tell Lexie to save both of us the humiliation and keep it to herself, okay?" She pushed her way past his body and ran down the hallways, the strong structure she had held only seconds before, crumbling as she realised the gravity of the situation. She had just broken up with her first, and probably _only_ love. What would she do now?


End file.
